#SelfCareAware @ LSE Campaign Launch

It’s a busy time for me at the moment. On top of undertaking my MSc I’m also working two jobs, and running a couple of exciting campaigns – one of which officially launched yesterday.

The #SelfCareAware campaign was an idea that came to me on the second day I began my course at LSE. Astounded by how competitive and anxious many of my fellow students were right from the start, it struck me that it couldn’t be a sustainable, healthy way to exist for the rest of the year – surely people would burn out?

With that in mind, and after being approached by the LSE SU Campaigns Network (who, alongside the LSE Annual Fund, are kindly financing the project) to get involved with them, I knew what I wanted to do. #SelfCareAware was born.

Offering training to society chairs/SU staff on how to run mental health workshops for their members/students.

Hosting a monthly self care cafe in the Students’ Union, where attendees can take part in self-care activities and discussions, thus challenging the taboo of mental health issues (particularly relevant for some international cultures, too)

Inviting external experts in to talk on the topics of self care and wellbeing

Creating a brief, weekly self-care newsletter that asks recipients to do a certain self-care activity over the next few days.

So far, the campaign has attracted a good amount of attention. Yesterday, with the help of an amazing team of passionate volunteers, we held a day-long stall on campus, and ended up running out of self care action plans because they were so popular. The drive and willingness to muck in of other volunteers never ceases to amaze me, and this campaign is no exception.

Another pleasant surprise was the number of international (and male) students who seemed really interested in the campaign – there was a great amount of diversity outside of whom we’d expected (white, female, British).